Cebu Pacific Flies Brand New Airbus To Zamboanga City

Charles Lim, Cebu Pacific consultant on Corporate Communications, gestures Wednesday 26 July 2006 during a news conference in Zamboanga City. Cebu Pacific announces that it will fly Manila to Zamboanga City four times a week beginning Thursday with a brand new Airbus A319. Cebu Pacific also opened recently its maiden flight from Manila to Dipolog City, boosting the tourism industry in Zamboanga Peninsula region. (Zamboanga Journal)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 26 Jul) Cebu Pacific on Wednesday announced that it will fly a brand new $60-million Airbus A319 to Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines as part of a two-year re-fleeting program.

Charles Lim, Cebu Pacific's consultant for Corporate Communications, said the 150-seater aircraft will service the Manila-Zamboanga route daily and consequently the Zamboanga-Cebu route also beginning Thursday.

"We are proud to announce that this will be the first time Cebu Pacific will fly its brand new Airbus A319 to Zamboanga City. We will help promote tourism in this beautiful region," Lim said.

Cebu Pacific earlier opened its maiden flight from Manila to Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte province known for its pristine beaches and historic places. The three times weekly flight also use an Airbus A319.

Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific marketing director, said: "The maiden flight to Zamboanga City is a historic event because it marks the start of its all Airbus fleet.”We are committed to the country's tourism agenda."

She said Cebu Pacific has the youngest fleet in the Philippines and one of the youngest also in Asia with a fleer age of less than 7 months. The airline currently operates 10 brand new Airbus aircrafts and awaits the delivery of four more until February next year to complete its two-year re-fleeting program.

Cebu Pacific's expansion, she said, is also underway and recently launched 2 new destinations, Laoag in Ilocos province in northern Philippines and Dipolog City in the south and will also start flying to Legaspi in the Bicol region on August 17 and Singapore on August 31.

It also has air services in the Visayas in central Philippines -- Bacolod, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, Tacloban and Tagbilaran and in Mindanao -- Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, and Davao.

The 11-year old airline also flies to Hong Kong and Seoul in South Korea. It also introduced travelers to on-time service, e-ticketing, and on-line booking, setting the standards for airline innovation in the local aviation industry.